Explainable
Why AI Recommends Some Brands & Ignores Others
Search engines used to behave like librarians. You asked a question, they handed you a list of books. Today, they behave more like advisors. They don’t point people to answers. They decide what the answer is.
If your brand isn’t part of that answer, you’re invisible, no matter how good your SEO is.
Explainable is a practical guide to two emerging disciplines that every marketer needs to understand: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). It covers how they work, how they fit alongside SEO, and what you can do about it starting this week.
What you’ll learn:
Explainable walks you through why search has shifted from navigation to judgment, and what that shift means for your content strategy. You'll learn how AI systems decide which brands to recommend and which to ignore, and why SEO, AEO, and GEO aren't competing disciplines. They're sequential layers of the same strategy. You'll get a new content playbook built for how search actually works now, including how to build the kind of authority and trust that AI systems recognize and reward. The book also introduces a measurement framework for when traditional metrics like rankings and clicks stop telling the full story. You'll find real-world case studies across B2B, DTC, enterprise, and local businesses, along with the most common mistakes organizations make when approaching AI-driven search and how to avoid them.
This book was written for everyday marketers who want clarity, confidence, and a practical path forward.
You don’t need to be an AI engineer. You don’t need to abandon SEO. You just need to understand the next layer of the stack.
#1 New Release in Online & Internet Searching on Amazon
#1 New Release in Search Engine Optimization on Amazon
#1 New Release in Web Marketing on Amazon
#1 New Release in E-Commerce on Amazon
#1 New Release in Web Marketing on Amazon
Top 10 Best Seller in SEO on Amazon
Top 10 Best Seller in Web Marketing on Amazon
Top 10 Best Seller in Online Internet Searching on Amazon
Who this Book Is For
Explainable is for marketers, founders, and business leaders who have noticed that the rules of online visibility are shifting but haven't found a practical guide that explains the new ones without requiring a technical background.
This book is for you if:
You've noticed traffic flattening and can't explain why
AI tools are answering questions in your industry without mentioning your company
You lead a marketing team and need a clearer framework to guide content and strategy decisions
You're a founder who suspects the rules changed but hasn't found a guide that feels actionable
You want to understand AEO and GEO without wading through technical jargon or vendor pitches
Everything in this book can be implemented by a team of two with no specialized tools and no agency retainer.
What READERS are saying
This book is by far the best resource I've found on getting our brand to show up in AI and LLM results. AEO and GEO were such a mystery to me. As a life-long marketer, I honestly felt like I was at a point that I couldn't keep up with all of the new search optimization changes. What used to work doesn't anymore, and I have spent countless hours reading blogs, buying books, and researching how to get our brand to show up in AI overviews and results. I was at my wits end because everything I was reading was vague, with no clear actionable steps to take. It was frustrating to say the least. This book, however, is literally a game changer for how I approach content. The step-by-step guides, audits, examples, case studies, pitfalls, etc. have made something that I thought was impossible to understand completely understandable. The title is perfect. This book delivers on the promise of making your brand "Explainable" and getting your brand to show up in AI results. Thank you!!!!!!!
— ElizabethThis book is a timely and thought-provoking guide for anyone trying to understand how AI is reshaping brand visibility and business growth. In a world where algorithms increasingly influence buying decisions, this book feels essential. What makes this book stand out is its clarity. Complex concepts are explained in an accessible way, making it valuable for both technical and non-technical readers. A must-read for those who want to stay relevant in an algorithm-powered world.
— RachelIt's rare that a book gives me the feeling I've missed something obvious. This is one of those books. The clarity and experiential authority Mr. Smith brings to this challenging topic is a revelation. I've taught business courses, including marketing, in the university for years but this beats anything I've seen in textbooks five times as long. Smith calmly and convincingly explains why AI integration is creating a significant disconnect with time-honored practices of SEO, chasing clicks, and measuring outcomes by where you rank on the search results. Direct, practical advice that you can begin implementing right now, whether you are part of a marketing team in a major corporation, or just want understand how your business can be recommended in AI queries. Highly recommended to the B2B or B2C marketing professional, media producer, or student interested in getting ahead of the curve when it comes to winning AI-enabled search results.
— OgierAbout the Author
Jarred Smith has spent nearly 20 years in marketing across industries including environmental services, healthcare, public media, and retail. He currently serves as Director of Marketing at Alliance Technical Group, a large environmental services company with over 2,200 employees and 60+ offices across the United States and Canada.
Previously, he served as VP of Marketing and Communications at OETA (Oklahoma's PBS affiliate), as CMO for a healthcare provider, and led digital marketing for Love's Travel Stops, where he built a digital experience department from scratch and rolled out omni-channel marketing programs across more than 1,800 retail locations.
He didn't set out to write a book about AI and search. He set out to solve a problem. In early 2024, he noticed that AI assistants were answering questions about his industry but never mentioning the company he worked for. The research that followed became Explainable.
Jarred lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Erin and their three kids.
GET THE BOOK
Explainable is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.
